Flat folding chair

ABSTRACT

The invention is to a flat folding chair, including a seating frame and cushion fixed on a seating frame, and on front and rear supporting bars which support the two sides of the seating frame. A slide sleeve is installed on the rear supporting bar with the front supporting bar sliding through the slide sleeve to form the movable joint between the supporting bars. A stopper is installed on the front supporting bar. The slide sleeve rests upon the stopper when the folding chair is unfolded to the correct position. There is also a fixation lock installed between the stopper and the slide sleeve to automatically lock the chair when unfolded to the correct position. A clicking sound of the handle snapping into the lock hole serves as a signal to the user that the chair has been opened to the correct position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field Of The Invention

Technical Field

The present practical and modern invention falls in the technical field of furniture, more particularly the present invention is in the technical field of folding chairs.

Background Art

The current folding round chair, commonly called the “moon chair” or “satellite chair”, is constructed of soft cushioning material and bars. It is circular when viewed from the front side, but slightly tilted towards the front like a satellite dish. It also looks like a half-moon when viewed from the side, hence the name “moon chair”. It is simple in structure with a stylish outfit, and is very popular. As shown in FIG. 1, its structure includes a circular frame (1) for the seat, the soft cushioning material (2) installed to the frame (1), and the front and rear supporting bars (3 & 4) which support the two sides of the seating frame (1). After the front and rear bars (3 & 4) are crossed, the upper end is connected to the seating frame (1). The rear supporting bar (4) is connected with a tubular slide sleeve (5). The front supporting bar (3) is slid through the slide sleeve (5) and forms the movable joint between the supporting bars (3 & 4). For this reason, current folding chairs are equipped with a stopper (6), so that when the folding chair is unfolded fully, the slide sleeve (5) can be supported and this stabilizes the chair after it is unfolded. The principle feature of this chair is a simple structure and a modern look. However, there is no signal or reminder when the chair is unfolded completely. This poses a hidden danger to the usage of such chairs, as the supporting bars may be easily damaged. Developing this new practical and modern model is therefore aimed at improving the insufficiencies of current folding round chairs and designing a more comfortable flat folding chair.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The purpose of this implementable invention is to design a folding chair that signals the user that the chair is unfolded completely by the contact of the slide sleeve and a stopper, and the ability to prevent accidental (“premature” or “unintended”) folding. The secondary purpose is to add diagonal bars to the upper end of the front and rear supporting bars, which help the supporting bar to support seating frames of different shapes.

This invention is proposed to be implemented in the following manner: The flat folding chair includes a seating frame, a cushion to be fit into the seating frame, and front and rear supporting bars which support the two sides of the seating frame. The aforementioned rear supporting bars have a slide sleeve installed to permit the front supporting bar to be slid into it, and forms the movable joint between the front and rear supporting bars. A stopper is installed on the front supporting bar, so that when the folding chair is unfolded to the correct position, the slide sleeve rests on the stopper. The feature is to install a lock between the stopper and the slide sleeve.

The aforementioned lock includes a lock hole on the one side of the stopper or the slide sleeve, and the pin of the locking handle installed on the side of the slide sleeve or the stopper facing the corresponding component, with a helical torsion spring installed on the pin to fixate the locking handle into the lock hole.

The aforementioned front and rear supporting bars have diagonal bars attached to the upper end, and the aforementioned seating frame can be hinged on the diagonal bar on the two sides, which is supported by the two diagonal bars.

The aforementioned seating frame can be one of the following shapes: circle, ellipse, quadrilateral, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, trapezium, calabash, or bread-shape which is round at the top and rectangular at the bottom. The front part of the aforementioned seating frame can be cut open between the two front supporting bars to make an opening. In front of the front-facing planes of the chair, a horizontal connecting bar can be installed between two front supporting bars or two rear supporting bars.

The aforementioned cushioning material can be one of the following structures: a uni-body seat and backed by Oxford cloth, a flat seat and back structure woven by elastic strings, a flat seat and back structure woven by elastic bands, or a flat seat and back structure woven by elastic strings or bands combined with Oxford cloth.

The point of contact between the aforementioned slide sleeve and rear supporting bars has a spacer, which matches the curvature of the rear supporting bar and makes close contact with the surface of the rear supporting bars.

This practical new model has a lock between the stopper and slide sleeve. The folding chair is automatically locked in position when it is unfolded completely. The clicking (“audible”) sound of the handle snapping into the lock hole serves as a signal to the user that the chair has been unfolded to the correct position. Moreover, the lock is strategically positioned so as to avoid misshaping the folding chair while folding, and ensure the safety of reusing/redeploying the chair. Secondly, diagonal bars are installed on the upper end of the front and rear supporting bars, which are used to support the seating frame, thus making a more flexible design for the seating frame and making it easier to find the hinge of the front and rear bars. Moreover, the cushion can be made of any of the following materials: Oxford cloth, elastic strings, elastic bands, or a mixture of these. A uni-body seat and back with a depression can be made for the chair, or a uni-body flat surface forming the seat and the back of the chair. This gives the chair a rich variety of styles.

These and other objects of the present invention will be readily apparent upon review of the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. These objects of the present invention are not exhaustive and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claimed invention. Further, it must be understood that no one embodiment of the present invention need include all of the aforementioned objects of the present invention. Rather, a given embodiment may include one or none of the aforementioned objects. Accordingly, these objects are not to be used to limit the scope of the claims of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of current folding round chair.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the supporting framework of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the supporting framework of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating the relationship between the front and rear supporting bars and the diagonal bars of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the breakdown of the lock in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a triangular seating frame for the invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an ellipse seating frame with an opening at the bottom for the invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a calabash-shaped seating frame for the invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a bread-shaped seating frame for the invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a quadrilateral seating frame for the invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a trapezium seating frame for the invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a pentagonal seating frame for the invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a hexagonal seating frame for the invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an octagonal seating frame for the invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of woven cushioning material for the invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of woven cushioning material 2 for the invention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of woven cushioning material 3 for the invention.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of woven cushioning material 4 for the invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, the flat folding chair includes the seating frame (1), cushioning material (2), front and rear supporting bars (3 & 4), slide sleeve (5), stopper (6) and lock handle (7). The cushioning material is fixated on the seating frame (1), which forms the uni-body seat and back. The two sides of the seating frame (1) are supported by the front and rear supporting bars (3 & 4), with the slide sleeve (5) screwed to the supporting bar (4) and the front supporting bar (3) sliding through the slide sleeve (5) to form the movable joint between the front and rear supporting bars (3 & 4). The stopper (6) is fixed in front of the front supporting bar. When the folding chair is unfolded to the correct position, the slide sleeve (5) rests on the stopper (6), which limits the space and supports the weight loaded on the chair. A fixation lock is installed in between the stopper (6) and the slide sleeve (5), which includes the lock handle (7), lock hole (51), pin (71) and helical torsion spring (72). In this implementation, the handle (7) is fixed on one side of the stopper (6) through the pin (71), and a lock hole (51) on the slide sleeve (5), with the helical torsion spring (72) installed on the pin (71) to keep the handle (7) locked into the lock hole (51). Once the folding chair is unfolded to the correct position, the handle (7) automatically snaps into the lock hole (51) and fixes the chair in place. The clicking sound of the handle snapping into the lock hole also serves as a signal that the chair is successfully unfolded to the correct position. Moreover, the folding chair cannot be folded back nor fall into a half-folded (“undeployed”) orientation if the handle (7) is not unhinged even if the user attempts to fold it. This ensures the safety during repeated usage.

If the handle (7) is installed on the stopper (6), the operation of folding and unfolding becomes smoother and more handy.

Referring to FIG. 4, each pair of the front and rear supporting bars (3 & 4) are hinged to a diagonal bar (8). The seating frame (1) is screwed at the two sides to the diagonal bars (8). The seating frame (1) is supported by the two diagonal bars (8). The benefit of such design is that the same set of front and rear supporting bars (3 & 4) and the diagonal bars (8) can be attached to the seating frame (1) in different designs, which gives a much greater convenience in attaching the seating frame.

Referring to FIG. 5, a spacer (9) is installed between the slide sleeve (5) and the rear supporting bar (4). The spacer has a curvature (91) which matches the rear supporting bar (4) and stays in close contact with it. This protects the surface of the bar, and lubricates the slide sleeve (5) to ensure a smoother rotation of the slide sleeve (5).

Further Implementation:

Referring to FIG. 6, in the illustration, the handle (7) is fixed on the slide sleeve (5) by the pin (71), and a lock hole (51) on the stopper (6), with the helical torsion spring (72) installed on the pin (71) to keep the handle (7) locked into the lock hole (51) on the stopper (6). In this structure, opening the handle (7) requires the hand to slide with the slide sleeve (5) for a small distance to make the operation of folding the chair smooth.

Summing up the two implementations above, the handle (7) can be installed on the side of either the stopper (6) or the slide sleeve (5). In both cases this can provide fixation and a clicking sound as a signal. Fixing the handle on the stopper (6) is more preferred, because the operable part of handle (7) faces the front and is comfortably within hand's reach for the operation of the handle (7). In the unfolding process, the position of the handle (7) also synchronizes with that of the front supporting bar (3). Moreover, attaching the diagonal bars (8) to the upper end of the front and rear supporting bars (3 & 4) and supporting the seating frame (1) by the diagonal bars (8) makes it possible for the seating frame (1) to take different shapes. Besides making hinging easier, it also provides a more stable support for the seating frame (1).

For this reason, the accompanying seating frame (1) can be any of the following structures, or any variety of them, such as: circle, triangle, ellipse, calabash, bread-shape which is round at the top and rectangular at the bottom, quadrilateral, trapezium, pentagon, hexagon or octagon. The seating frame (1) can be either a closed structure or an open structure. As in FIG. 7, the seating frame (1) is cut and is open between the two front supporting bars. A horizontal connecting bar (81) is installed on the two front supporting bars (3) or the two rear supporting bars (4) in front of the front-facing planes of the folding chair to enhance the strength of the front part of the chair. Cutting open the front of the seating frame (1) can prevent the front part of the seating frame (1) from pressing into the legs, while keeping the whole layout coherent and stylish.

Below is the detailed description of the different shapes of the seating frame (1):

Referring to FIG. 2, the seating frame (1) is a circle, which is the basic shape allowing the simplest processing. Besides this basic model, it can be transformed into the following shapes.

Referring to FIG. 6, the seating frame (1) is a triangle. It saves material and is also aesthetically pleasing.

Referring to FIG. 7, the seating frame (1) is an open ellipse. An ellipse is a similar to a circle, therefore it shares a similar outfit with the circle. The front is cut open, and in this figure the horizontal connecting bar (81) is fixed to the front-facing plane and in-between the two rear supporting bars (4).

Referring to FIG. 8, the seating frame (1) is in a calabash shape, and similarly it can be shaped into pear shape as well.

Referring to FIG. 9, the seating frame (1) is in a bread shape, which is round at the top and rectangular at the bottom.

Referring to FIG. 10, the seating frame (1) is quadrilateral. It can be rectangular as in the figure, or square.

Referring to FIG. 11, the seating frame (1) is in a trapezium shape. This is based on a quadrilateral but with a narrowed top, which is gives it variety.

Referring to FIG. 12, the seating frame (1) is a pentagon, which looks like a diamond, a unique design.

Referring to FIG. 13, the seating frame (1) is in hexagonal shape. The hexagon in the figure is not symmetrical vertically. Compressing the bottom part makes it more aesthetically pleasing, but it can be, without a doubt, made into a regular hexagon.

Referring to FIG. 14, the seating frame (1) is in an octagonal shape. This means the seating frame (1) can vary from triangle to various polygons, allowing flexible designs which fulfils various needs and any practical and aesthetic requirements.

Basing on the aforementioned different designs of the seating frame, different cushioning materials (2) can be chosen to fit in the seating frame accordingly and create a rich variety of layouts. Below are some implementations of the cushioning material (2):

Referring to FIG. 1, the cushioning material (2) is made into a uni-body seat and back by Oxford cloth, which is also the most common structure.

Referring to FIG. 15, it is a cushioning woven purely by elastic strings (21). The woven pattern can be a sunflower as in the figure, or an array of rhombuses or quadrilaterals.

Referring to FIG. 16, the cushioning of the seat and back is formed by a mixture of elastic string (21) and Oxford cloth. The seat (20) is formed by the Oxford cloth which prevents the elastic strings from cutting into the user. The elastic strings (21) form the back, and can be woven into a rhombus pattern as in the figure, or in radial pattern.

Referring to FIG. 17, it is another implementation of the seat and back parts formed by the mixture of the elastic strings (21) and Oxford cloth. The elastic strings (21) are in radial pattern.

Referring to FIG. 18, it is the seat and back formed by the mixture of elastic bands (22) and Oxford cloth. The seat is formed by Oxford cloth (20), and the elastic bands (22) are woven into a radial pattern, in between the seat and the upper edge of the back.

The seat and back formed by the elastic strings, elastic bands, or their combination with Oxford cloth, are all flat when unused. When a person is seated on it, the weight causes the elastic strings (21) and elastic bands (22) to conform to the bottom and the back of the user. The aforementioned cushioning material (2) is suitable with any shape as shown in the FIG. 2 and FIG. 6 to FIG. 14. The listed examples are common seating frame shapes, and do not necessarily restrict the description of this patent.

While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, it is understood that it is capable of further modifications, uses and/or adaptations of the invention following in general the principle of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and as maybe applied to the central features hereinbefore set forth, and fall within the scope of the invention and the limits of the appended claims. It is therefore to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. 

I claim:
 1. A kind of flat folding chair, including a seating frame, cushioning that is fixed on the seating frame, and front and rear supporting bars which support the two sides of the seating frame; the aforementioned rear supporting bars have a slide sleeve installed with the front supporting bar slid through the slide sleeve, forming the movable joint between the front and rear supporting bars. A stopper is installed on the front supporting bar. When the folding chair is unfolded to the correct position, the slide sleeve rests upon the stopper. The feature of this invention is the fixation lock installed between the stopper and the slide sleeve.
 2. Referring to patent claim 1, the feature of this flat folding chair, is the fixation lock which includes a lock hole on one side of the stopper or slide sleeve, the handle fixed on one side of the slide sleeve or stopper by a pin, and the helical torsion spring installed on the pin. The helical torsion spring keeps the handle locked into the lock hole.
 3. Referring to patent claim 1, the feature of this flat folding chair is the diagonal bars installed at the upper end of the front and rear supporting bars. The aforementioned seating frame is screwed to the diagonal bars on two sides, and is supported by the two diagonal bars.
 4. Referring to patent claim 1, the feature of the aforementioned flat folding chair is that the shape of the seating frame can be chosen from the following: circle, ellipse, quadrilateral, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, trapezium, calabash, or bread-shape which is round at the top and rectangular at the bottom. The seating frame is a closed structure.
 5. Referring to patent claim 1, the feature of the aforementioned flat folding chair is that the shape of the seating frame can be chosen from the followings: circle, ellipse, quadrilateral, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, trapezium, calabash, or bread-shape which is round at the top and rectangular at the bottom. The aforementioned seating frame can be cut open in the front in between the two front supporting bars to make an opening. A horizontal connecting bar can be installed between the two front supporting bars or the two rear supporting bars in the front-facing planes of the chair.
 6. Referring to patent claim 1, the feature of the aforementioned flat folding chair is that the cushioning material can be one of the following choices: a uni-body seat and back by Oxford cloth, a flat seat and back structure woven by elastic strings, a flat seat and back structure woven from elastic bands, or a flat seat and back structure composed of elastic strings or elastic bands combined with Oxford cloth.
 7. Referring to patent claim 1, the feature of the aforementioned flat folding chair is that there is a spacer in between the contact surface of the slide sleeve and the rear supporting bar. The spacer has a curvature that matches the rear supporting bar, which enables the spacer to remain in close contact with the surface of the rear supporting bar. 